When entering Montenegro at Hum via the M18, the first thing that caught my eye is the EU sign and the second was the SMS saying that you don't have EU roaming
On border makes the difference, you are amazed how good the M18 suddenly was.
I stayed on the M18 and followed the Piva valley. The green waters of the Piva and the scenery are definitely worth the drive.
Actually, I wanted to follow the Tara valley, but the rafting season hasn't started yet and more importantly, I wanted to go to Razvesje via the P14. Compared to the BiH roads, the P14 was paved throughout and a dream of a road
The P14 is also called "1G Panoramic Road", but snowdrifts blocked my way after Pisce. Razvesje should have been the base for hiking in Dumitor National Park. So Pisce, which is just a few houses, became my base.
So I stayed up there in solitude for two days and was only greeted by farmers who were looking for their cows or driving their sheep home. Since I don't speak Serbian and they didn't speak German or English, our conversations quickly ended.
I then continued south via Pluzine to Rastovac. The mountains become hills and end in a wide plain. Forests become fields and you see the first villages.
And then came my first MNE city. Nikšić was a disillusionment. Nikšić may be the second largest city in Montenegro after Podgorica, but it doesn't offer much. Is functional and monotonous at best. If you want to talk about a highlight, then it is the Cathedral Church of St Basil of Ostrog. So a category 1 city according to my classification.
Although my destination was Podgorica, I took the old road that got me past the Ostrog Monastery. This decision was spot on. In April the bushes bloomed and there were great motifs.
Hiking to the Ostrog Monastery was also a good experience. 2 kilometers uphill and then this beautiful monastery. The Monastry itself is impressive and the walk up prepares you for the energy in the Monastry. Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures in the main church itself.
I have to say that everything I saw south of the Monastry was less impressive. I should have gone back to the mountains and stayed another few days there. Nobody is perfect.
What I had already noticed on the drive so far caught my eye on the way to Podgorica. There were hardly any bars or restaurants on the street and the places were purely residential with at best a small supermarket.
And then came Podgorica, or rather, nothing came beside a functional collection of houses and streets. If I had been convinced by one of the 3 camps I checked out, I would have made a 2nd attempt on foot. But this was not the case and so my frustration to have approached a city that has nothing to offer followed me to the sea.
I wanted to recharge at the coast for a few days. Petrovac, Bar, Ulcinj are cities that I normally avoid. Tourist strongholds with all sorts of architectural blunders. Beatiful but not my kind of hang outs
The beaches south of Ulcinj however are spacious and I was the only guest at my pitch in April. I would not try my luck in August over here.
